A Fearless Trumpeter

For those who only know Blanchard as a skilled master of classic jazz, The E-Collective may sound like a departure. Whether tearing it up on the Mary J. Blige-esque ballad “Shutting Down,” which was sung on the album by singer and Maroon 5 keyboardist PJ Morton, or channeling his inner Star Child on the majestic “Cosmic Warrior,” Blanchard’s performance is perfectly suited to the music’s amplified, electric atmosphere. His jaw-dropping technique heightens the emotional content and sometimes political subtext of the music, as the spoken word lyrics of the album’s title track references the last words of Eric Garner—“I Can’t Breathe”—which in turn became a protest chant for the Black Lives Matter movement.